Porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymers

ABSTRACT

Provided are porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymers obtained by radical copolymerization of a radically polymerizable monomer with a porphyrin compound represented by formula (1) or (2): 
     where R represents a hydrogen atom or a C 1-6  alkyl group. Also provided are a trace metal measuring reagent and a trace metal removing agent, each containing the porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymer. The porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymer can be obtained as a compound having desired properties or reactivity by making use of easily available porphyrin compounds. The polymer is useful as a reagent for measuring or an agent for removing heavy metals.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to novel porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymers useful as a reagent for measuring trace metals.

2. Discussion of the Background

Heavy metals are classified as “industrial wastes requiring specific management” and are subject to various environmental quality standards. There is a demand for a method of easily measuring the concentration of each of various heavy metals existing in rivers, lakes, marshes, sewage or factory effluent. It is common practice to employ atomic absorption spectrometry or inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry (ICP) to quantitatively determine the concentration of heavy metals. These methods are not satisfactory for general purposes, because they involve problems such as high cost and the necessity of pipe arrangements or exhaust systems. On the other hand, absorption spectrophotometry does not have a cost problem and permits measurement through a relatively simple apparatus. However, because absorption spectrophotometry can be influenced by many substances that exist in a sample but are not intended to be measured, absorption spectrophotometry often requires a pretreatment of the sample to remove these substances.

Porphyrin compounds are calorimetric reagents used in absorption spectrophotometry. To their porphyrin ring, several metals are bonded, thereby forming complexes. These metals are affected by, as well as external factors such as pH, a substituent or functional group on the molecule of the porphyrin compounds.

As a colorimetric reagent, porphyrin compounds involve problems such as poor solubility in water. For improving their properties including water solubility or reactivity with metals, attempts have been made to substitute the reaction center, and to introduce a substituent or functional group in the vicinity thereof, bringing about great effects. In recent years, synthesis of water soluble porphyrins having various substituents or functional groups have been reported (J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 94(1972)4511; J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 93(1971)3162; Inorg. Chem., 9(1970)1757; J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 91(1969)607; and J. Heterocycl. Chem., 6(1969)927). There is also a report on the application of these porphyrins to analysis of metals contained at a trace level (ppb level) by making use of a change in fluorescence after formation of a complex with various metals (Analytica Chimica Acta, 74(1975)53-60; J. Japan Chemical Soc., 1978, (5), 686-690; J. Japan Chemical Soc., 1979, (5), 602-606; BUNSEKI KAGAKU vol. 25(1976)781; Japanese patent application laid-open Nos. 082285/95 and 054307/80).

Under the above-described techniques, however, it is necessary to introduce substituents or functional groups to a porphyrin ring in order to impart the porphyrin compound with water solubility or to change reactivity with a metal. An object of the present invention is therefore to provide porphyrin compounds having desired properties or reactivity even by making use of easily available porphyrin compounds “as is”, that is, without any modification. The porphyrin compounds of the present invention are useful as a reagent for measuring heavy metals.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

With the foregoing in view, the present inventors have found that by performing radical copolymerization of a specific porphyrin compound and a radically polymerizable monomer, thereby introducing the porphyrin nucleus into the main chain of the polymer having various side chains, and, at this time, selecting the proper radically polymerizable monomer, various porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymers different in the stereostructure in the periphery of the porphyrin nucleus without using a porphyrin derivative in which various substituents or functional groups are introduced in the periphery of the porphyrin nucleus are available. They have also found that since the resulting polymers differ in properties including water solubility and also in reactivity with a metal upon complex formation, depending on the structure of the selected radically polymerizable monomer, the polymers are useful as a reagent for measuring a trace metal. As a result, they have completed the present invention.

The present invention thus provides a porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymer obtained by radical copolymerization of a porphyrin compound represented by the following formula (1) or (2):

wherein, R represents a hydrogen atom or a C₁₋₆ alkyl group, with a radically polymerizable monomer; and a reagent for measuring a trace metal, which contains the polymer.

The novel porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymers according to the present invention are different in properties such as water solubility and also in reactivity with a metal upon complex formation, depending on a radically polymerizable monomer selected as a raw material so that they are useful as a reagent for measuring trace metals or as an agent for removing trace metals.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the following figures.

FIG. 1 illustrates a difference in the absorbance caused by the addition of various metal salts to the copolymer of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis{4-(allyloxy)phenyl}-21H,23H-porphyrin (hereinafter abbreviated as “TAPP”) and methacrylic acid (hereinafter abbreviated as “MAcid”) (pH 5.5).

FIG. 2 illustrates a difference in the absorbance caused by the addition of various metal salts to the copolymer of TAPP and MAcid (pH 11).

FIG. 3 illustrates a difference in the absorbance caused by the addition of various metal salts to the copolymer of protoporphyrin IX dimethyl ester (hereinafter abbreviated as “PPDE”) and acrylamide (hereinafter abbreviated as “AAm”) (pH 11).

FIG. 4 illustrates a difference in the absorbance caused by the addition of various metal salts to the copolymer of PPDE and MAcid (pH 11).

FIG. 5 illustrates reaction curves of TAPP-MAcid with Cu²⁺ at pH 5.5, PPDE-AAm and Zn²⁺ at pH 5.5 and PPDE-AAm with Pb²⁺ at pH 11.

FIG. 6 illustrates a difference in the absorbance of a copolymerized gel of PPDE, acrylamide and N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide immersed in each of various aqueous metal salt solutions (pH 11).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The porphyrin compound to be used in the present invention is selected from the compounds represented by the formula (1) or (2). Preferred specific examples include protoporphyrin IX (hereinafter abbreviated as “PPfacid”) of the formula (1) wherein R presents H, protoporphyrin IX dimethyl ester of the formula (1) wherein R represents a methyl group, and 5,10,15,20-tetrakis{4-(allyloxy)phenyl}-21H,23H-porphyrin of the formula (2). These porphyrin compounds are each commercially available.

Although no particular limitation is imposed on the radically polymerizable monomer to be used in the present invention, usable are, for example, compounds represented by the following formula (3):

where R¹, R², R³ and R⁴ each independently represents a hydrogen atom; a C₁₋₅ alkyl group; —(CH₂)_(n)COOR⁵, —(CH₂)_(n)OCOR⁵, —(CH₂)_(n)N(R⁵)(R⁶), —(CH₂)_(n)CON(R⁵)(R⁶), or —(CH₂)_(n)A in which R⁵ and R⁶ each represents a hydrogen atom, a C₁₋₅ alkyl group, a carboxymethyl group, or a phenyl or phenylalkyl group which may have a substituent, A represents a halogen atom, a hydroxyl group, a formyl group, a cyano group or a carbonyl halide group and n stands for an integer of 0 to 6; or an imidazolyl, pyridyl or phenyl group which may have a substituent.

Specific examples include acrylamide, methacrylic acid, acrylic acid, 5-hexenoic acid, allylamine, 3-butenoic acid, β-methallyl alcohol, allyl alcohol, N,N-dimethylacrylamide, 1-vinylimidazole, 2-vinylpyridine, 4-vinylpyridine, allyl chloride, vinyl acetate, maleamide, maleic acid, dimethyl maleate, diethyl maleate, maleinamic acid, methyl hydrogen maleate, ethyl hydrogen maleate, fumaramide, fumaric acid, dimethyl fumarate, diethyl fumarate, ethyl hydrogen fumarate, fumaronitrile, fumaryl chloride, crotonarnide, crotonic acid, crotonaldehyde, methyl crotonate, ethyl crotonate, crotononitrile, crotonoyl bromide, crotonoyl chloride, crotyl alcohol, crotyl bromide, crotyl chloride, isocrotonic acid, trans-1,2-dichloroethylene, citraconic acid, dimethyl citraconate, mesaconic acid, angelic acid, methyl angelate, tiglic acid, methyl tiglate, ethyl tiglate, tigloyl chloride, tiglic aldehyde, N-tigloylglycine, cinnamaldehyde, cinnamamide, cinnamic acid, ethyl cinnamate, methyl cinnamate, cinnamonitrile, cinnamoyl chloride, cinnamyl bromide, cinnamyl chloride, 3-methyl-2-butenal, 2-methyl-2-butene, 2-methyl-2-butenenitrile, 3-methyl-2-buten-1-ol, and cis-1,2-dichloroethylene.

By using, as the radically polymerizable monomer, the above-described compound having one polymerizable carbon-carbon double bond and a compound having at least two polymerizable carbon-carbon double bonds and serving as a crosslinking agent in combination, polymers having various performances such as a polymer gel which has grown three-dimensionally are available. As such a radically polymerizable monomer having at least two polymerizable carbon-carbon double bonds, compounds can be given as examples represented by the following formula (4):

where R¹, R² and R³ have the same meanings as described above, Y represents a single bond, —(CH₂)_(n)COO—, —(CH₂)_(n)OCO—, —(CH₂)_(n)NR⁵—, —(CH₂)_(n)CONR⁵—,—(CH₂)_(n)O— or —(CH₂)_(n)CO— (in which R⁵ and n have the same meanings as described above), X represents —(CH₂)_(n)—, —(CH₂)_(n)S—S(CH₂)_(n)—, {—(CH₂)_(n)—}₃CR⁵, {—(CH₂)_(n)—}₄C, -φ- or -φ< (in which R⁵ and n have the same meanings as described above, and φ represents a benzene ring), and m stands for an integer of 2 to 4. Specific examples of such a crosslinking agent include the following compounds.

A weight ratio of the porphyrin compound to the radically polymerizable monomer preferably ranges from 1:100 to 1:10,000, with 1:200 to 1:1,000 being especially preferred.

Although there is no particular limitation imposed on the molecular weight of the porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymer obtained by radical copolymerization of a porphyrin compound and a radically polymerizable monomer, the resulting polymer to be used as a measuring reagent preferably has a weight average molecular weight, as measured by the light scattering method, ranging from 50,000 to 5,000,000, with 100,000 to 1,000,000 being especially preferred.

The radical copolymerization of the porphyrin compound and radically polymerizable monomer are conducted in an organic solvent in the presence of a polymerization initiator. Examples of the organic solvent include dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), tetrahydrofuran (THF), benzene, chloroform and dimethylformamide (DMF). In particular, DMSO is suited when PPfacid or PPDE is used as the porphyrin compound, while THF is suited when TAPP is used. As the polymerization initiator, azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) and 2,2′-azobis (4-methoxy-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) can be given as examples.

The reaction is preferably carried out for 5 to 30 hours, especially 15 to 25 hours at 30 to 80° C., especially 55 to 65° C. After reaction, the reaction mixture may be dialyzed for isolation and washing.

The porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymers of the present invention thus obtained differ in reactivity with a metal, depending on the kind of the radically polymerizable monomer used for radical copolymerization. When the porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymers of the invention are used as a reagent for measuring a trace metal, highly sensitive and convenient measurement can be attained by using a polymer having high selectivity to a target metal and measuring a change in absorbance due to complex formation with a heavy metal ion. Use in combination of two or more polymers different in reaction selectivity to metals enables simultaneous measurement of plural metals. Moreover, the porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymers of the present invention can be used as an agent for removing trace metals. When a compound having at least two polymerizable carbon-carbon double bonds is used as the radically polymerizable monomer as described above, the mixture grows three dimensionally into a polymer (gel) which can be easily transformed into various forms such as sheet, film, tube, beads and paste. In addition to the above-described uses, it can be employed, for example, as a carrier or a sensor of a low-molecular-weight chemical substance such as heavy metals, oxygen, carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide, redox catalyst, a battery and so on.

A trace metal in a sample can be measured, for example, by adding a porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymer to a buffer solution, measuring absorbance of the resulting mixture by a spectrophotometer, adding the sample containing the trace metal, measuring absorbance again after a lapse of a predetermined time and deriving a metal concentration based on the regression equation built by multiple regression analysis using the value of a standard sample.

When the porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymers of the invention are used as a reagent for measuring a trace metal, examples of the heavy metal ion to be measured include Ca²⁺, Cd²⁺, Co²⁺, Cr³⁺, Cu²⁺, Fe³⁺, Fe²⁺, Mg²⁺, Mn²⁺, Ni²⁺, Zn²⁺ and Pb²⁺. This reagent is applicable to analysis of any samples taken from rivers, lakes, marshes, sewage, factory effluent, leachate from waste incinerators and the like which need control by environmental quality standards.

EXAMPLES

The present invention will hereinafter be described in further detail by the following examples. It should however be borne in mind that the present invention is not limited to or by them.

Example 1 Synthesis of a Porphyrin-nucleus Introduced Polymer

As the porphyrin compound, PPfacid, PPDE and TAPP were employed, while as the radically polymerizable monomer, the below-described 13 compounds were employed among the above-exemplified ones (the abbreviation in parentheses will hereinafter be used).

Acrylamide (AAm) Methacrylic acid (MAcid) acid (AAcid) 5-Hexenoic acid (5HAcid) Allylamine (AAmine) 3-Butenoic acid (3BAcid) β-Methallyl alcohol (βMA1) Allyl alcohol (AA1) N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMAAm) 1-vinylimidazole (1VImida) 4-Vinylpyridine (4VPyr) Allyl chloride (AChlo) Vinyl acetate (VAce)

In a vessel, 10 ml of a 0.6 mM porphyrin solution, an adequate amount of a radically polymerizable monomer and 0.4 ml of 500 mM AIBN were charged, followed by the addition of an organic solvent to give the total amount of 20 ml. The radically polymerizable monomer was added so that the concentration after filling would become 1M. As the solvent, DMSO was used for the synthesis of a PPfacid- or PPDE-introduced polymer, while THF was used for the synthesis of a TAPP-introduced polymer.

The vessel having the reaction mixture therein was immersed in cold water filled in an ultrasonic apparatus, followed by degassing for 30 minutes. Right after bubbling by a nitrogen gas for 2 minutes, the vessel was hermetically sealed. It was placed in an incubator of 60° C. and polymerization was initiated. After 21 hours, the polymer solution was encapsulated in a dialysis membrane for isolation and washing of the polymer (molecular cutoff: 12000 to 14000) and dialyzed against miliQ water in a room at low temperature (4° C.). The polymer insoluble in water precipitated or produced turbidity so that it was dissolved in methanol. In the end, the insoluble matter was removed by filtration through a 0.2 μm filter, whereby solutions of various porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymers were prepared.

Table 1 shows the results of infrared spectroscopic analysis, melting-point measurement and molecular-weight measurement (weight-average molecular weight as measured by light scattering method) of each of the porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymers thus prepared.

TABLE 1 Average molecular IR absorption Artributable atomic Polymer weight peak (cm⁻¹) group mp (° C.) PPDE-AAm 276100 1655 —CONH₂ 249-279 PPDE-MAcid 290700 1701 —COOH 240-261 1261 PPDE-AAcid 1720 —COOH 1248 PPDE-1VImida PPDE-4VPyr 1601 1420 pyridine ring 168-255 824 PPDE-5HAcid PPDE-3BAcid PPDE-VAce 1736 —CO—O—  78-126 1240 PPDE-AAmine PPDE-AChlo 689 C—Cl PPDE-AA1 1067 C—O stretching vibration PPDE-βMAI 1055 C—O stretching vibration PPDE-DMAAm 1624 —CO—N tertiary amine PPfacid-AAm 1655 —CONH₂ TAPP-AAm 1655 —CONH₂ 198-246 TAPP-MAcid 563700 1701 —COOH 239-244 1263 TAPP-AAcid 1720 —COOH 1244 TAPP-DMAAm 1618 —CO—N tertiary amide

Example 2 Measurement of Reactivity with Metal

(1) Measuring Method

To 200 μl of a buffer solution, the porphyrin introduced polymer solution and a diluent were added to give the total amount of 1 ml. As the buffer solution, 100 mM 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid (MES) of pH 5.5 and 100 mM 3-cyclohexylamino-1propanesulfonic acid (CAPS) of pH 11 employed, respectively. As the diluent, miliQ water was used for a water soluble polymer, while methanol was used for another polymer. A ratio of the diluent to the polymer solution was adjusted so that the maximum absorbance would become about 1.

By a spectrophotometer, absorbance at 370 to 500 nm was measured with miliQ water or methanol as a blank. Then, 10 μl of a 200 μM aqueous metal salt solution as shown in Table 2 was added. After 15 minutes at 80° C., absorbance was measured again in a similar manner. At this time, a volumetric change due to addition of the metal was considered to be negligible.

TABLE 2 METAL SALT METAL ION Calcium chloride Ca²⁺ Cadmium chloride Cd²⁺ Cobalt chloride Co²⁺ Chromium (III) chloride Cr³⁺ Copper sulfate Cu²⁺ Iron (III) chloride Fe³⁺ Iron (II) chloride Fe²⁺ Magnesium chloride Mg²⁺ Manganese chloride Mn²⁺ Nickel chloride Ni²⁺ Zinc sulfate Zn²⁺ Lead nitrate Pb²⁺

(2) Results

i) Differences in the absorbance caused by the addition of metal salts at pH 5.5 or pH 11 are shown in FIGS. 1 to 4.

FIG. 1 shows a difference in the absorbance of a TAPP—methacrylic acid copolymer (TAPP-MAcid) at pH 5.5; and FIG. 2 shows a difference in the absorbance of TAPP-MAcid at pH 11. Metals causing a large absorbance difference were Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺ at pH 5.5, and Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Co²⁺⁺at pH 11.

FIG. 3 shows a difference in the absorbance of a PPDE-acrylamide copolymer (PPDE-AAm) at pH 11. A large absorbance difference was caused by Cd²⁺, Zn²⁺ and Pb²⁺ and Cu²⁺ also caused a slight absorbance difference.

FIG. 4 shows a difference in the absorbance of a PPDE-methacrylic acid copolymer (PPDE-MAcid) at pH 11. As well as a large absorbance difference caused by Zn²⁺ and Cu²⁺, absorbance differences by Co²⁺ and Mn²⁺ which did not occur in PPDE-AAm were observed.

ii) A change in the absorbance due to complex formation between each of all the porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymers synthesized above and a metal, and wavelength are shown in Table 3. For comparison, the absorbance of a porphyrin compound itself was measured in a similar manner after dissolving it in DMSO when it was PPDE and in THF when it was TAPP, and then adjusting the pH of the resulting solution. The results are collectively shown in Table 3 (the blank column of this table indicates that a peak of difference in absorbance was not observed).

TABLE 3 Polymer pH Cd²⁴ nm Co²⁺ nm Cu²⁺ nm Fe²⁺ nm Mn²⁺ nm Zn²⁺ nm Pb²⁺ nm PPDE 5.5 −0.1339 409 0.024 413 (not polymer) PPDE-AAm 5.5 0.0283 402 0.0956 413 PPDE-MAcid 5.5 0.14 399 0.0505 411 PPDE-AAcid 5.5 0.1473 400 0.026 410 PPDE-1VImida 5.5 0.0157 403 −0.025 471 0.0054 418 PPDE-4VPyr 5.5 0.1866 400 0.0341 402 PPDE-5HAcid 5.5 0.0326 399 0.1439 413 PPDE-3BAcid 5.5 0.1245 397 0.2373 410 PPDE-VAcc 5.5 PPDE-AAmine 5.5 0.0421 395 0.0304 407 PPDE-Achlo 5.5 PPDE-AA1 5.5 0.0576 396 0.0306 408 PPDE-βMA1 5.5 0.1432 397 0.0221 410 PPDE-DMAAm 5.5 0.0709 401 0.0182 414 PPfacid-AAm 5.5 0.0199 425 0.0234 401 0.1114 402 0.1919 412 TAPP 5.5 0.0402 409 (not polymer) TAPP-AAm 5.5 0.516 419 0.0178 430 TAPP-Macid 5.5 0.1663 419 0.0636 428 TAPP-Aacid 5.5 0.3197 419 TAPP-DMAAm 5.5 0.0408 418 PPDE 11 0.0114 422 0.0456 399 0.0117 465 (not polymer) PPDE-AAm 11 0.1646 426 −0.0188 415 0.1158 415 0.0973 465 PPDE-MAcid 11 0.015 420 0.1798 398 0.0126 459 0.1646 409 PPDE-AAcid 11 0.1323 399 0.0525 409 PPDE-1VImida 11 0.0334 426 0.0191 420 0.0198 468 PPDE-4VPyr 11 0.0712 402 PPDE-5HAcid 11 0.1946 421 0.0126 422 0.0276 458 0.1722 410 0.0842 462 PPDE-3BAcid 11 0.1405 421 0.0703 397 0.0111 458 0.0245 410 0.0396 462 PPDE-VAce 11 PPDE-AAmine 11 0.0098 422 0.0093 461 PPDE-Achlo 11 PPDE-AA1 11 0.0071 420 0.0265 396 0.003 462 PPDE-βMA1 11 0.076 397 0.0316 398 0.0074 462 PPDE-DMAAm 11 0.0344 421 0.0394 400 0.0214 413 0.0398 464 PPfacid-AAm 11 0.1611 426 0.0217 404 0.1002 415 0.1129 465 TAPP 11 (not polymer) TAPP-AAm 11 0.0944 442 0.0237 418 0.0534 436 0.0582 469 TAPP-MAcid 11 0.0738 435 0.0555 431 0.1339 411 0.2602 425 TAPP-AAcid 0.0578 430 0.3934 417 0.0179 471 0.3892 424 TAPP-DMAAm 11 0.0472 434 0.0359 419 0.0383 425 0.0371 470

The above-described results indicate that depending on the kind of the porphyrin compound or the kind of the radically polymerizable monomer copolymerized therewith, the kind of a metal reactive to the resulting polymer, difference in absorbance and absorption wavelength each differs. They also indicate that by incorporation of a porphyrin nucleus in a polymer, the resulting compound forms a complex with a metal to which a porphyrin compound itself does not bind and some polymers cause a large difference in absorbance.

Example 3 Measurement of the Concentration of Heavy Metals by Using a Porphyrin-nucleus Introduced Polymer

In FIG. 5, shown a re reaction curves of TAPP-MAcid with Cu²⁺ at pH 5.5, PPDE-AAm with Zn²⁺ at pH 5.5 and PPDE-AAm with Pb²⁺ at pH 11. The polymers exhibited linear reactivity with any metal. The leachate from an ash depository of a waste incinerator was used as a sample and its absorbance was measured using the above-described polymers. A metal concentration was calculated by a regression equation obtained by multiple regression analysis using standard samples. The analytical results are shown in Table 4, together with the results measured by an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The analytical results coincided with the results of atomic absorbance spectrophotometry. The multiple correlation coefficient r in multiple regression analysis available from the standard sample used for the measurement of Cu²⁺ was 0.98937 (r²=0.97885), while that available from the standard sample used for the measurement of Zn²⁺ was 0.97727 (r²=0.95505).

TABLE 4 Cu²⁺ Zn²⁺ Pb²⁺ Atomic Atomic Atomic Sample Polymer absorption Polymer absorption Polymer absorption Leachate from 186.3 174.8 3021 4917 38.4 56.4 ash depository Unit μM “Polymer”: absorption spectrophotometry using a porphyrin-introduced polymer “Atomic absorption”: Atomic absorption spectrometry

Example 4 Synthesis of Porphyrin Nucleus-introduced Gels

Used as a porphyrin compound were PPfacid and PPDE; as a radically polymerizable monomer, four monomers, that is, acrylamide (AAm), methacrylic acid (MAcid), acrylic acid (AAcid) and N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMAAm); and as a crosslinking agent, N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide (MBAA).

In a vessel were charged 5 ml of a 0.6 mM porphyrin solution, an adequate amount of a radically polymerizable monomer, 2 ml of 200 mM N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide and 0.2 ml of 500 mM AIBN, followed by the addition of DMSO to give the total amount of 10 ml. In consideration of the maintenance of the gel form, the radically polymerizable monomer was added so that the concentration after filling would be 1.5M.

The vessel having the reaction mixture therein was immersed in cold water filled in an ultrasonic apparatus, followed by degassing for 30 minutes. Bubbling by a nitrogen gas was then conducted for 2 minutes. The polymer solution was poured in a space of 1 mm between glass plates. The resulting plates were placed in an incubator of 60° C., whereby polymerization was initiated. After 21 hours, the gel sheet of 1 mm thick was removed from the glass plates and cut into a piece of 5 mm square. The resulting gel was washed well with pure water. In this manner, various porphyrin-nucleus introduced gels were prepared.

Example 5 Measurement of Reactivity with Metal

(1) Measuring Method

To each of 5 ml a buffer solution containing 20 mM 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid (MES) and having a pH of 5.5 and 5 ml of a buffer solution containing 20 mM 3-cyclohexylamino-1-propanesulfonic acid (CAPS) and having a pH of 11, 50 μl of each of 500 μM aqueous solutions of metal salts shown in Table 2 was added. After the porphyrin-nucleus introduced gel sheet was immersed in the aqueous solution of a metal salt at 60° C. for 1 hour, the gel was taken out and absorbance of it (at 370 to 500 nm) in the thickness direction was measured.

(2) Results

i) Differences in the absorbance caused by immersion of the copolymerized gel of PPDE, acrylamide and N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide in aqueous solutions of metal salts having a pH 11 are shown in FIG. 6. Metals causing a large absorbance difference were Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺.

ii) A change in the absorbance due to complex formation between each of all the porphyrin-nucleus introduced gels synthesized above and a metal, and wavelength are shown in Table 5. For comparison, the absorbance of PPDE itself was measured in a similar manner after dissolving it in DMSO, and then adjusting the pH of the resulting solution. The results are collectively shown in Table 5 (the blank column of this table indicates that a peak of difference in absorbance was not observed).

TABLE 5 Gel pH Cd²⁺ nm Cu²⁺ nm Zn²⁺ nm Pb²⁺ nm PPDE (not gel) 5.5 −0.0627 399 0.024 413 PPDE-AAm-MBAA 5.5 0.0611 399 0.0616 412 PPDE-MAcid-MBAA 5.5 0.2231 398 −0.0277 415 PPDE-AAcid-MBAA 5.5 0.0512 399 0.0148 410 PPDE-DMAAm-MBAA 5.5 0.0326 399 PPfacid-AAm-MBAA 5.5 0.0345 399 0.0824 411 PPDE-(not gel) 11 0.0114 422 0.0456 399 0.0117 465 PPDE-AAm-MBAA 11 0.2126 424 0.0629 400 0.0993 413 0.1614 464 PPDE-MAcid-MBAA 11 −0.0237 395 PPDE-AAcid-MBAA 11 −0.0243 398 PPDE-DMAAm-MBAA 11 0.0346 423 0.0276 399 0.0364 464 PPfacid-AAm-MBAA 11 0.1158 423 0.042 400 0.0687 413 0.1105 464

While the present invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments, it is not confined to the specific details set forth, but includes various changes and modifications that may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, all falling with the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymer obtained by radical copolymerization of a radically polymerizable monomer and a porphyrin compound represented by the following formula (1) or (2):

where R represents a hydrogen atom or a C₁₋₆ alkyl group.
 2. The polymer according to claim 1, wherein the radically polymerizable monomer is a compound represented by the following formula (3):

where R¹, R², R³ and R⁴ each independently represents a hydrogen atom; a C₁₋₅ alkyl group; —(CH₂)_(n)COOR⁵, —(CH₂)_(n)OCOR⁵, —(CH₂)_(n)N(R⁵)(R⁶), —(CH₂)_(n)CON(R⁵)(R⁶), or —(CH₂)_(n)A, in which R⁵ and R⁶ each represents a hydrogen atom, a C₁₋₅ alkyl group, a carboxymethyl group, or a phenyl or phenylalkyl group which may have a substituent, A represents a halogen atom, a hydroxyl group, a formyl group, a cyano group or a carbonyl halide group, and n stands for an integer of 0 to 6; or an imidazolyl, pyridyl or phenyl group which may have a substituent.
 3. The polymer according to claim 1, wherein the radically polymerizable monomer is selected from the group consisting of acrylamide, methacrylic acid, acrylic acid, 5-hexenoic acid, allylamine, 3-butenoic acid, β-methallyl alcohol, allyl alcohol, N,N-dimethylacrylamide, 1-vinylimidazole, 2-vinylpyridine, 4-vinylpyridine, allyl chloride, vinyl acetate, maleamide, maleic acid, dimethyl maleate, diethyl maleate, maleinamic acid, methyl hydrogen maleate, ethyl hydrogen maleate, fumaramide, fumaric acid, dimethyl fumarate, diethyl fumarate, ethyl hydrogen fumarate, fumaronitrile, fumaryl chloride, crotonamide, crotonic acid, crotonaldehyde, methyl crotonate, ethyl crotonate, crotononitrile, crotonoyl bromide, crotonoyl chloride, crotyl alcohol, crotyl bromide, crotyl chloride, isocrotonic acid, trans-1,2-dichloroethylene, citraconic acid, dimethyl citraconate, mesaconic acid, angelic acid, methyl angelate, tiglic acid, methyl tiglate, ethyl tiglate, tigloyl chloride, tiglic aldehyde, N-tigloylglycine, cinnamaldehyde, cinnamamide, cinnamic acid, ethyl cinnamate, methyl cinnamate, cinnamonitrile, cinnamoyl chloride, cinnamyl bromide, cinnamyl chloride, 3-methyl-2-butenal, 2-methyl-2-butene, 2-methyl-2-butenenitrile, 3-methyl-2-buten-1-ol, and cis-1,2-dichloroethylene.
 4. The polymer according to claim 1, wherein the radically polymerizable monomer consists of a compound represented by the following formula (3):

where R¹, R², R³ and R⁴ each independently represents a hydrogen atom; a C₁₋₅ alkyl group; —(CH₂)_(n)COOR⁵, —(CH₂)_(n)OCOR⁵, —(CH₂)_(n)N(R⁵) (R⁶), —(CH₂)_(n)CON(R⁵)(R⁶) or —(CH₂)_(n)A, in which R⁵ and R⁶ each represents a hydrogen atom, a C₁₋₅ alkyl group, a carboxymethyl group, or a phenyl or phenylalkyl group which may have a substituent, A represents a halogen atom, a hydroxyl group, a formyl group, a cyano group or a carbonyl halide group, and n stands for an integer of 0 to 6; or an imidazolyl, pyridyl or phenyl group which may have a substituent; and a compound having at least two polymerizable carbon-carbon double bonds; and the radically polymerizable monomer serves as a crosslinking agent.
 5. The polymer according to claim 4, wherein the compound having at least two polymerizable carbon-carbon double bonds is selected from the group consisting of N-N′-methylene-bis(acrylamide), ethylene glycol diacrylate; N,N′-bis(acrylolyl)cystamine; divinylbenzene; tetramethylolmethane tetraacrylate; and trimethylolpropane triacrylate.
 6. The polymer according to claim 1, wherein the porphyrin compound is represented by the formula (1).
 7. The polymer according to claim 1, wherein the porphyrin compound is represented by the formula (2).
 8. The polymer according to claim 1, wherein a weight ratio of the porphyrin compound to the radically polymerizable monomer ranges from 1:100 to 1:10,000.
 9. The polymer according to claim 1, wherein a weight ratio of the porphyrin compound to the radically polymerizable monomer ranges from 1:200 to 1:1,000.
 10. The polymer according to claim 1, wherein the polymer has a weight average molecular weight in a range of from 50,000 to 5,000,000.
 11. The polymer according to claim 1, wherein the polymer has a weight average molecular weight in a range of from 100,000 to 1,000,000.
 12. A method of making a polymer, the method comprising radical copolymerizing a radically polymerizable monomer and a porphyrin compound represented by the following formula (1) or (2):

where R represents a hydrogen atom or a C₁₋₆ alkyl group; and producing the porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymer of claim
 1. 13. A method of using a porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymer, the method comprising mixing the porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymer of claim 1 with a sample containing a trace metal; and measuring the concentration of the trace metal in the sample.
 14. A method of using a porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymer, the method comprising mixing the porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymer of claim 2 with a sample containing a trace metal; and measuring the concentration of the trace metal in the sample.
 15. A method of using a porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymer, the method comprising mixing the porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymer of claim 4 with a sample containing a trace metal; and measuring the concentration of the trace metal in the sample.
 16. A method of using a porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymer, the method comprising mixing the porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymer of claim 1 with a sample containing a trace metal; and removing the trace metal from the sample.
 17. A method of using a porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymer, the method comprising mixing the porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymer of claim 2 with a sample containing a trace metal; and removing the trace metal from the sample.
 18. A method of using a porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymer, the method comprising mixing the porphyrin-nucleus introduced polymer of claim 4 with a sample containing a trace metal; and removing the trace metal from the sample. 